Wilson e



(No Model.)

W. E. PORTER. PENDULUM CLAMP FOR CLOCKS.

No. 549,744. Patented Nov. 12,1895.

I 1 VII/III ANDREW BGRAHAM. PHOYO-LITHQWASHI NGTONzD C UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE.

XVILSON E. PORTER, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE NElV HAVENCLOCK COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

PENDULUM-CLAMP FOR CLOCKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 549,744, dated November12, 1895.

Application filed March 22, 1895. Serial No. 542,769. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it known that l, \VILSON E. PORTER, of New Haven, in the county ofNew Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement inPendulumClamps for Clocks; and I do hereby declare the following, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification,and represent, in-

Figure l, a broken view, in front elevation, of one form which apendulum-clamp constructed in accordance with my invention may assume,the clamp being shown in its retired position; Fig. 2, a correspondingview showing the clamp engaged with the pendulum-ball, which is held toone side by it; Fig. 3, a view, partly in plan and partly in transversesection, on the line (L b of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a sectional view on theline 0 (Z of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a detached perspective view of the clampand slide; Fig. 6, a detached plan view of the plunger, the bearing orsocket of which is indicated by broken lines.

My invention relates to an improved pendulum-clamp for clocks, andconstitutes, in fact, an improvement upon the devices disclosed in mypending application, filed J anuary 14, 1805, and serially numbered534,847, the object being to produce a pendulumclamp of superioreffectiveness.

lVith these ends in view my invention consists in al1orizontally-arranged pendulumclamp, in combination with means formoving the same diagonally, so as to constantly maintain it in ahorizontal position.

My invention further consists in certain details of construction andcombinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed outin the claims.

In carrying out my invention as herein shown I employ an oblong clamp A,constructed with pointed ends and having an oblong openingalsohavingpointed ends and considerably wider than the pendulum-ball Bis thick, but shorter in length than the diameter of the same.

I do not limit myself to making the clamp exactly as shown 5 but theconstruction illustrated I have found to be very effective, inasmuch asby forming the ends of the clamp as described it is well adapted to gripand take hold of the edges of the pendulum-ball.

This clamp is rigidly secured by its inner side bar and in a horizontalposition to the lower end of a slide C, which extends upward in aninclined position and in a plane at a right angle to the plane of theclamp. The said slide is provided with two screws C C, which passthrough a long inclined slot D, formed in a vertically-arranged bracketD, the upper end of which is furnished with horizontal lugs D D whichreceive screws D D by means of which the bracket is secured to the rearmovementplate E of the clock-movement, which may be of any approvedconstruction. The heads of the screws 0 G exceed in diameter the widthof the slot D and engage with the side walls thereof on the inner faceof the bracket D, the shanks of the screws extending forward through theslot and entering the ends of the slide, which they thus connect withthe bracket and guide in diagonal movement up and down upon the same. Itwill thus be seen that although the clamp, which is attached to theslide, moves up and down and passes to a considerable distance onopposite sides of a plurnb-line drawn through the pendulum-ball B andthe pendulum-rod B it is also maintained in a horizontal position, inwhich it operates with the greatest effect in gripping the pendulumball,for obviously if the clamp is inclined one way or the other, and thusmade to ap proach the plane in which the ball swings, its clampingaction will be impaired proportionallyto the degree ofits inclination,and, moreover, the farther the clamp is from the plumbline of thependulum-ball when it acts thereupon the greater its effect will be inthe automatic starting of the clock.

The said clamp carries an inwardly-projecting operating-pin F, whichextends into an elongated slot G, formed in the outer end of anoperating-lever H, the inner end of which is secured to a hub H, whichrocks on a horizontal inwardly-projecting stud I, rigidly sccured in anarm D, offsetting from the bracket D. Near its inner end the said leveris furnished with a small plate or finger J, upon which bears the lowerend of the operatingspring K, the upper end of which is rigidlyconnected with the upper portion of the bracket D, near the centerthereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The said spring exerts a constanteffort to depress the operating-lever, and, acting through the pin F,exerts also a constant effort to depress the slide, and hence thependulum-clamp. If desired, the finger J might be made integral with thelever or the spring otherwise arranged and adapted to act to depress theclamp. The hub II also carries an operating-arm L, made, as hereinshown, of wire and arranged parallel with the operating-lever II. Thisrod is engaged by a cross-head M, arranged at a right angle to and belowit and mounted in the upper end of a vertically arranged plunger N,square in transverse section and mounted in a bearing 0, located in thebottom P of the clock-case, through which its outer end projects. Thisplunger is constructed in length so that when the clock is set inrunning position on a shelf or table the outer end of the plunger willengage with the surface upon which the clock rests, whereby the plungerwill be forced inward against the tension of the spring K for such adistance that its crosshead will lift the operating-rod L, and hence thelever H, which in turn will lift the operating-pin F, and hence theslide 0 and the pendulum clamp A, into the positions in which they areshown in Fig. l, which represents the clamp lifted above thependulumball into a position directly over the same and so as not tointerfere with the free oscillation thereof, inasmuch as the opening ofthe clamp gives ample clearance to the stem. B connectin g thependulum-ball B with the pendulum rod B. It will be understood that theplunger is maintained in its retired inwardly-projecting positionagainst the tension of the spring K by the weight of the clock coactingwith the surface upon which the clock rests; but the moment the clock islifted or tipped, so as to cause the outer end of the plunger to befreed, the spring immediately acts, through the medium of theoperating-lever II and the pin F,to depress the slide 0 and the pendulumclamp A. As the said parts move downward the diagonally-arrangedslot D will cause them to move in a straight inclined path, whereby theclamp will engage with the pendulum-ball and swing it considerably toone side of its plumb position and there hold it firmly. If now theclock is handled or shipped, no harm can come to it, because thependulum is firmly held. I thus avoid the injury to the clock generallyincurred by leaving the pendulum-ball attached to the pendulum-rod andavoid the inconvenience of disconnecting the ball from the rod, as iscommonly done. Then when In thus swinging back it will acquire enoughinertia to swing beyond its plumb position and start. So the clock doesnot require to be started further than to set it down w ierever it isdesired to be run. I may say, however, that if the clock is set downwith extreme caution the retirement of the clamp will be so slow thatthe pendulum will not acquire enough inertia when released to startvibrating.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invention some changes from theconstruction shown and described may be -made, and I would thereforehave it understood that I do not limit myself thereto, but hold myselfat liberty to make such changes and altem-tions as fairly fall within.the spirit and scope of my invention.

IIaving fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A clock provided with a horizontally arranged pendulum clampconstructed to engage directly with the pendulum and hold the sameagainst movement, and means connected with the clamp for moving it upand down in a diagonal path without deflecting it from a horizontalposition, substantially as set forth.

2. A clock provided with a horizontally arranged pendulum clampconstructed to engage directly with the pendulum and hold the sameagainst movement, a slide with which the clamp is connected, a bracketcontaining an inclined slot through which the slide is connected withthe bracket, a plun ger, means for connecting the slide with the same toelevate the slide and move the clamp diagonally when the plunger isretired or pushed inward, and a spring acting in opposition to theplunger, substantially as set forth.

A clock provided with a horizontally arranged pendulum clamp constructedto en gage directly with the pendulum and hold the same againstmovement, a slide to which the clamp is secured, a bracket adapted to beconnected with the clock movement, and containing a long inclined slotthrough which the slide is connected with the bracket, and which guidesthe movement of the slide up and down, an operating pin extending inwardfrom the slide through said slot, an operating lever containing a slotreceiving the said pin, an operating rod connected with the said lover,a plunger mounted in the clock case and adapted at its inner end toengage with the operating rod, and a spring acting in opposition to theplunger for depressing the slide, and hence the clamp, substantially asset forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

'ILSON E. PORTER.

Witnesses:

WALTER O. CAMP, EUGENE CARTIER.

